Day-In-the-Life of Minted Artist Kelly Ventura

I’m so happy to have Kelly Ventura here today! Kelly is such a dynamic and multi-talented artist (she’s kind of a rising star in the artist-designer world) but she is also super down to earth, a great mom, and a very honest person. And, Kelly is a fellow Minted artist! I think you’re going to mightily enjoy getting a peek into her day.

The Typical Day*

6:15 – 8:00 wake up, get ready(this involves chasing two energetic boys around with clothes and toothbrushes), take boys to daycare, sing frozen soundtrack or raffi the whole way home, but don’t realize it until I am in driveway

9:00 – 10:00 a mix of reading emails, social media check-in, blankly staring at computer screen & list-making (a good old fashioned hand-written list. i have purchased several planners in my lifetime and they never get used. in fact, i just bought one last month…still unopened, but at least it’s pretty!)

10:00 – 2:00 paint, scan, design.

2:00 realize that i have not yet eaten, but keep working

2:30 can no longer ignore that i have not eaten, head upstairs to make lunch & eat at my desk. the normal point in my day when i realize that i only have two more working hours before daycare pick-up

2:30 – 4:30 my most productive time of day. plow through my to-do list and carry over unfinished work to next days list

8:30 – 11:00 depending on the night; work, clean, hang out with husband

*This kind of week rarely happens though. Life is busy right now, really busy. Good busy, but still the kind where it is hard to catch your breath and where tiny feelings of ‘you could be managing things better’ sneak into my head quite often. I am one month post-Surtex, which turned out to be the most amazing business experience and was worth all of the stress in preparing for it. I am still working on follow-up with all of my new client leads and have some really exciting collaborations in the works for 2015! On top of all of that good stuff, we just purchased a new home! After a two year search, this life event calls for celebration! It just so happens that Surtex, buying new home, selling current home and husband traveling for work all landed within the same four week period! Whoa!

In all honesty, I am not the most organized person, though I know I fool many with my ‘surface organization’ skills. I am a list-maker and a stacker. I even stack the lists that I make, ha! I have three working surfaces in my studio….a computer desk, a painting table and an enormous screen-printing table turned shipping, stacking nightmare! My husband and boys made up a lovely song about me that goes something like this, ‘Stack, stack, stack. Stack all day, stacking is the Kelly way.” Once the stacks of paintings get unmanageable, I find a spot and tuck them away.

I am two and a half years into my freelance business and feel like I am just beginning to understand the ins and outs. My husband and I learn new things about contracts each week and I am so thankful that he is the finance brain, as that is not my thing! I am happy to be doing what I love, love the work that I am able to share with others and am thankful for all of the friends and support I have met along the way. Little by little, my business and I will keep learning, growing and turning into that dream company I see in my head.

As I mentioned above, I love a good list, so here are some big things for the remainder of the year:

Thank you so much for sharing all of this goodness and encouragement, Kelly!

Spread some Cheer!

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Most days you can find me, in the studio with my little girls, speckled in oil paint (drinking too much coffee), creating artwork for collectors around the world and collaborating with select brands.
Check out my artwork on EmilyJeffords.com

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9 comments

Emily, I absolutely love your posts. I went through a bunch just now, and they are so clean and filled with life. Your photographs are stunning and fit well with your writing language and your voice. Which is very strong by the way. I am definitely staying tuned for more. Have a great day!

Andrew, thank you so much for your kind words and for reading! It’s such an honor to share a little goodness with the world and I’m so glad it is reaching and touching people. That’s the best feeling ever.

Emily — thank so much for posting this! I absolutely LOVE seeing an artist’s process. It’s a gift to be able to see something created from nothing and always amazing to me how two people can go about the same task so differently.

I saw your work and it reminded me of mine when I was in art school at East Carolina. Shortly before I was going to graduate we had a double family tradgy and I gave up my dream to continue my artwork to help my family recover. Twenty-five years, multiple degrees, starting my own family, and a career later . . . You have literally inspired me. I picked up canvas, oil paint, and started with a flower arrangement I picked. Thank you! Sara Tonizzo